Baby | homebirthchoices

~Keep your baby with you in your room. Your little one is too small to be off in a nursery somewhere.

~Your baby will urinate at least once a day until your second milk comes in.

~After that, your baby may urinate up to 6 times a day. Until your second milk has come in, they may go more than once, but if they only go one time, that is ok, as long as you are nursing at least every 2-3 hours. Once your second milk has come in, then he/she will urinate at least 6 times a day.

~Bowel movements will be at least once a day once the Meconium is out. (the black tarry stool) The BM goes from black tarry, to a greenish gooey, to yellow that looks like cottage cheese. If your baby is not having BM’s, he/she may become jaundiced. The baby NEEDS protein to help this, not water. Bili is transported out of the body via protein in the blood stream, water has no protein. This is ‘old fashioned’ thinking to use water.

~The cord should not ooze. Hospitals have you use rubbing alcohol, or hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide ‘eats’ away good tissue also. It is good only if you have someone throw a hand full of sand onto the baby’s cord. It will help to ‘bubble’ the dirt out, but since that will not happen to your baby, then no reason to use the stuff! Rubbing alcohol should not be used on the cord. Rubbing alcohol eats away all bacteria, and the cord is rotting flesh so needs some bacteria (a good kind) in order to fall off. Using rubbing alcohol delays this process. The best thing to use-just do nothing, keep it clean with regular water (not soaking the cord, but if needed, wash the skin around the cord to remove any bloody discharge from the cord seeping-with regular water) The other thing that is BEST for your baby is to use herbal baths, or golden seal on the cord.

~Diapers: I used cloth for my children, trying to save our land fills from filling up, but I won’t preach at you to use them. But I highly recommend their use. IF your a believer, and care about taking care of our earth that YHWH/GOD has provided, then you really need to consider using cloth diapers. Cloth is nice during the summer months, when it is hot. I use to place my babies on a thick towel when they were resting, and keep the cloth diapers on without any plastic pants. Allowing air circulation. Less diaper rash that way. I do like using disposable diapers for a newborn, especially when they have those black tarry stools, and it is easier to keep the diaper away from the cord. You should not allow urine to get on to the umbilical cord.

~If your baby is becoming jaundiced, undress the child, and place him/her in the sunshine (in a sunny window) and be sure to nurse OFTEN. Even if your baby is just a little yellow, do this. The sun’s ultraviolet rays are ok and safe treatment, (the hospital uses a ‘fake sun-tanner type bulb’) If your baby is not having stools, then it is more likely that they might become jaundiced. Nursing helps the baby to have stools, thus jaundice improves. Jaundice is caused by excess bilirubin in the blood. When the babies are in side of you, they have many more red blood cells than they will need after the birth. When they are born, then these extra cells begin to break down, and release bilirubin. The newborns liver is working to keep up, but ‘gets a little behind’ in the job, it has to metabolize the bilirubin and when it cant keep up, the baby becomes yellow.

~Dress the baby for the weather. If your hot, in the summer, then the baby does not need a t-shirt, sleeper, and a huge quilt. Over heating a baby is dangerous. Babies should not be in a draft or breeze, but don’t over do either. The head should be covered, as babies loose a lot of their heat from their head.

~Circumcision does not need to be done. It is a choice. It is based on your personal religious convictions, and beliefs. Medically there is not reason to have the surgery done. Yes, it is surgery. Some doctors use anesthesia, and some do not.

~The new born screening will be done at age 24 hours and after (for Michigan residents) and after 48 hours or 72 hours for other states. This test is also called the PKU test.

~Nurse

~Nurse often.

~Spend time with your baby.

~Spend time with your baby! Enjoy him/her, all other things can wait. Your baby is most important. God gave you this little blessing, enjoy!